This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/636,374, filed on Aug. 11, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,633. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates generally to reciprocating saws, and more particularly, to quick change reciprocating saws adapted for use in hand held drivers, within which operators are permitted to purposefully switch between several saw blades.
Portable reciprocating saws, including a variety of handsaws and the like, have been generally known in the art for some time, handsaws being commonly used tools for performing a cut. Since there are different types of saw blades with different sizes, the operator has to have a number of different types of saw blades in order to perform a cut on various objects the operator may encounter. However, currently available handsaws have set blades that are cast around or fixedly attached to the handle by other methods, thus one blade cannot be switched to another when the operator needs different sizes or types of saw blades.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a reciprocating handsaw that allows the operator to easily and securably change from one saw blade to another when performing tasks that require more than one saw blade.
Moreover, it would be further desirable to provide a reciprocating handsaw that can be attached to readily available handles of hand held drivers which can also be interchanged with different types of bits to perform various functions.
In accordance with the present invention, a reciprocating saw includes a saw blade that is connected to a hand held driver for reciprocating the saw to perform a cut. A bit holder and a blade holder is used to provide connection between the saw blade and the handle of the hand held driver. The bit holder includes a connecting mechanism for connecting the blade holder to the hand held driver. The blade holder provides a connection between the saw blade and the bit holder. The blade holder includes a holder body and a hex-shaped shank extending rearwardly from the holder body. The shank further includes a first holding mechanism for coupling the holder to the bit holder at the rear end and a second holding mechanism for coupling a saw blade to the holder at the forward end.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.